Engine-starter.



H. R. SIEVERKROPP.

ENGINE STARTER APPUCATION FI'LED MAR. l?, 1917.

Patented Jan. 15, 1918'.

i il I `Ensinn-s'iuiiernra Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented dan. 15, 1913.

Application filed March 17, 1917. Serial No. 155,471.

To all whom t may concern.-

. Be it known that I, HENRY'R. SrEvnR- Knorr, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of lVisconsin, Ahave invented` certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Starters; and I do hereby declare that the following is` a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates `to new and useful improvements in engine starters, more particularly of that type embodied in Patent No. 1,162,410 granted to me Nov. 30, 1915;

It is primarily the object ofmy invention to provide a starting mechanism which may be associated with an engine in a most ready and convenientv manner, and it is further an object more particularly with respect to automobile engines to procure an economy of structure by utilizing the fan shaft of the engine as part of the starting mechanism.

A still further object resides in the provision of a starting mechanism which is exceedingly compactin nature, and which may be assembled and disassembled in a most ready manner.

lVith the above and other `objects and advantages in view, the invention resides more particularly in the novel combination, for mation and arrangementbof parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is aV front elevational view of my improved engine starter mechanism, the fan being'removed from that shaft of my mechanism on which it is adapted to be carried.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the starter mechanism on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the engine in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. l is a transverse sectional View on the line lri of Fig'. 2 showing more particularly the method of keyingthe shaft sprocket thereto.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 5 designates the main shaft of an engine 6 shown in dotted lines, and 7 designates the usual water manifold which extends forwardly at the top of the engine.

My improved engine starter mechanism is carried at the front of the engine and comprises a bracket including the body wall 8 and outstanding side walls 9 taperingly enlarged in width toward their lower ends. The upper portion of the body plate is provided with an aperture 10 adapted `to fit over the water manifold 7 and is provided with apertures 11 at the sides of the first aperture adapted to receive the securing bolts 12, normally used to fasten the manifold to the engine body. The starter mechanism includes asprocket chain trainedabout a shaft carried by the bracket and about the engine shaft, 4and to adjust the tension of this chain, the manifold opening 10 of the bracket and one of the openings 11 are longitudinally elongated whereby" to permit an angular adjustment of the bracket to vary the distance between the shafts mentioned, the bracket being retained in a desired position by the clamping action `of the bolts l2. To hold the lower end ofthe bracket spaced from the engine body yto insure a proper for ward position'of the bracket, a spacing bolt 13 is threaded in the lower end of the bracket andfabut's the lower end of the engine body, this bolt obviously providing for adjustment to compensate for possible variation of thickness of the securing lugs of the water manifold which servesto space the upper portion of the bracket from the engine body.

As in my said previous patent, motion is imparted to the starter mechanism by means of a cable 14 wound on a cable drum 15 which has its hub keyedon a shaft 16 jourf naled `in `a projected portion of one of the side walls 9 of the bracket and fixed on the inner end of the shaft is a beveled gear wheel 17 which is disposed in a cutaway portion of the body wall 8 of the bracket and which meshes with a beveled gear 18 having its hub portion journaled in a bearing 19 carried bythe body wall of the bracket, this hub portion" serving incidentally to j ournally support the inner end of the main shaft 2O of a starter mechanism. The outer end of the shaft 20 is journaled in a bearing plate 21 supported by securement to the outer portions of the side walls 9 and fixed `on the shaft 20 between the bearing plate 21 and the gear 18 is a sprocket wheel 22, about which is trained a sprocket chain 23 trained also about a sprocket wheel 24 on the main engine shaft 5. The lbeveled gear 1S is provided with a laterally turned peripheral flange portion which rotatably nests within For rotating the main shaft 2O and consequently the engine shaft 5 upon rotation of the beveled gear wheel 18 the shaft 20 has provided thereon within the inclosed space formed by the wheels 18 and 25 a peripher- Vally toothed ratchet wheel26 which has its teeth engageable by a pawl 27 pivoted to the gear wheel 18 and resiliently urged to said engagement by a spring 8 secured to the flange portion of the wheel. v

Thus by the structure above described, pulling movement of thev cable to rotate the drum 15 will cause a crankingrotation of the engine shaft 5, and upon said engine shaft being started, independent movement thereof is permitted by means of the pawl 27 and ratchet wheel 26. To rewind the cable upon the drum 15 to adapt the mechanism for subsequent cranking actuation a spiral spring 29 has its outer end secured at 30 to the adjacent bracket wall 9, and is provided at its inner end with a laterally turned portion engageable in a recess 30 in the hub of the cable drum shaft.

As in my said previous patent, ameans is provided for holding the pawl 27 in retracted position upon driving operation of the engine shaft and upon the possible occurrence of back-fire, this means comprises a plurality of inwardly projecting tongues 31carried by the sprocket wheel 25 and disposed in regularly spaced relation about the ratchet wheel 26', and a corresponding series of tongues 32 carried by an annular plate 33 rotatably inset in the adjacent side face of the sprocket wheel 25, rotation of the plate 33 with respect to the wheel 25 being limited by an inwardly projected lug 34; movable between a pair of adjacent tongues 31. The relation of the tongues is such that when said tonguesv are disposed in radially alined position the pawl 27 may move therebetween to engage the sprocket wheel 26, and when said tongues are relatively moved they so inclose the sprocket wheel as to prevent engagement of the pawl therewith. Thus by referring more particularly to Fig. 3 it is noted that upon the occurrence of back-fire, the shaft 20 and consequently the gear 18 and cable drum will be momentarily rotated by the force of back-fire. Upon movement of the pawl 27 adjacent a pair of tongues 31 and 32 however, said pawl will be cammed out of engagement with the ratchet wheel thereby and will exert a dragging movement on the tongue 32 which will move the ring 33 and consequentlyvall of the tongues 32 toa position shielding the ment of the mechanism the spring'29 rewinds the cable 14 on the cable drum 15 which procures4 a consequent movement of the gear wheel 18y and its pawl 27, and in this free movementV ofthe pawl it exerts` a dragging action onthe tongues 32 to again shieldthe ratchet wheel andr thus permit free driving rotation of the shaft 20. Thus theshaft 20,which is disposed in substantially the position of the fan shaft of an automobile engineand the usual fanv 35 of the engine is carriedl on this shaft. ,Y In fixing the sprocket wheel 24 on the engine shaft the .usual opening 364 is utilized which normally receives the lockingpin of the fan shaft pulley. j Fitted on the engine shaft is a sleeve 37 having an out-turned flange at its inner end and passed through this sleeve and through the'opening 36 is a locking pin 38 which has its ends projected outwardly of the'sleeve and engageable in recesses l39 formed in the sprocket wheel 24 which is fitted over the sleeve.V These parts are retained in assembled relation by a follower sleeve Ll0 which is threaded on the sleeve 37 and which holds the sprocket wheel against the `flange of said sleeve 37, and formed onthe outer end of the follower sleeve are a series of clutch teethengageableby the usual manual cranking means of the engine. Y y 1 From the foregoing description, it is thus seen that 1 have provided a startingnmechanism which may be associated with an engine in a manner which is mostV convenient and economical, particularly with respect to the elimination of parts directly associated with 'the main shaft. of the engine, since I combine theusual fan shaft with the main shaft of the. mechanism. V2

Vhile `l have shown, a preferred embodiment of my invention,.it will be understood that various changes and modifications to meet differing conditions of use mayl be resorted to without departing in any manner Y from the spirit of my invention as interpretedby the appended claims.

Vhat is claimed is: v

1. The combination with an engine including a drive shaft, of a second shaft journaled parallel to said drive shaft, a connection between saidshafts, a vgear wheel on the second shaft provided with a laterally turned peripheral fiange, a ratchet wheel provided with a laterally turned flange disposed about the flange of the gear wheel, manual means for rotating said gear wheel, and means disposed within the inclosed space formed by said wheels for initially rotating the drive shaft upon the rotation of said gear wheel.

2. The combination with an engine including a drive shaft of a second shaft mounted there-above, a releasable drive means for the second shaft, a sprocket wheel on the second shaft, a sleeve on the engine shaft having an up-turned flange at one end7 a locking pin passed through the sleeve and shaft with its end projected outwardly of the sleeve, a sprocket wheel mounted on the sleeve and provided with recesses receiving the projected ends of the said pin, a follower sleeve threaded on the first sleeve, clutch teeth formed on the outer end of the follower sleeve and a chain trained about both said sprocket wheels.

3. An engine starter mechanism including a journaled shaft, a gear wheel on said shaft provided with a laterally turned peripheral flange, means for rotating said gear wheel, a ratchet wheel provided with a lat erally turned tooth carrying flange disposed about the flange of the gear wheel7 a second ratchet wheel disposed intermediate the first named Wheels, a pawl pivoted to the gear wheel for co-action with the second ratchet wheel, pawl retracting tongues carried by the first ratchet wheel and a second pawl for co-action with the teeth of the first ratchet wheel.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of lVisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY R. SIEVERKROPP.

Witnesses JAMES CRAIG, CHARLES M. KOENIG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

